Sheet-metal casket.



PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

J. MAXWELL.

SHEET METAL GASKET.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

[N VENTOR,

MTTORNEK No. 759,728. PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

J. MAXWELL.

SHEET METAL'CASKET.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 22, 1904.

N0 MODEL. Z'SHEBTS-SHEBT 2.

WTNESSE 4 Jul M1701? W I I W I my invention.

UNITED STATES Patented May 10, 1904.

JOHN MAXWVELL, OF ONEIDA, NEW YORK.

SHEET-METAL CASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,728, dated May 10, 1904.

Application filed January 22, 1904. Serial No. 190,1i2. (N model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J oIIN MAXWELL, of Oneida, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful improvements in Sheet- Metal Caskets, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates toimprovernents in a sheet-metal burial-casket which is capable of being collapsed, so as to occupy a minimum space in storage or transportation, but when built up or assembled is substantially hermetically sealed.

The primary object, therefore, is to produce alight, strong, and durable knockdown burialcasket of thin sheet metal which may be stored or shipped in a collapsed condition and may be quickly and easily set up or assembled by any person skilled or unskilled in the art without the employment of special tools or machinery.

Another object is to form the upper edges of the metal sides and ends of the body with lengthwise grooves in which are seated yielding packing-strips (as rubber) to receive the lid and form a substantially air and water tight joint.

Other objects will appear in the subsequent description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a casket embodying the features of Figs. 2, 8, and 4: are sectional views taken, respectively, on lines 2 2 and 3 3, Fig. 1, and 4 i, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5 5, Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4:, showing a slightly-modified locking-joint between the adjacent edges of the sides and ends of the casket. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the main body of the casket similar to that seen in Fig. 1, except that the marginal groove at the top is omitted. Figs. 8 and 9 are enlarged detail sectional views taken on lines 8 8, Fig. 7, and 9 9, Fig. 8. Fig. 10 isa transverse sectional view taken 011 line 10 10, Fig. 7. Fig. 11 is a portion of a corner of a casket, showing a modified means of locking the sides and ends to each other.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

This casket comprises, essentially, a main rectangular case or receptacle A and a lid B, both of which are formed of sheet metal and locked together in a manner hereinafter described.-

The main body or case A is collapsible and is therefore composed of separate pieces, consisting of a bottom 1, sides 2 2, and ends 3 3, all of which are formed of sheet metal with interlocking shoulders at their junctions one with the other. The central portions of the sides and ends are pressed outwardly to form raised panels 4, which serve to stiffen the walls of the case and at the same time give it a more pleasing and characteristic appearance. The depressions thus formed in the innor faces of the sides and ends are tilled in with a different material, as wood panels 5, which are finished iiush with the inner face of the case'and operate to reinforce the sides and ends against compression or buckling and also to deaden the metallic sound of the case. The oppositelongitudinal edges of the bottom 1 are turned 01' bent under the bottom a short distance toward each other to form lockingflanges 25, and the lower lengthwise edges of the sides are also turned or bent inwardly toward each other and then outwardly above the inturned portions to form return bends or flanges 26, which interlock with the flanges and prevent the sides from spreading and at the same time hold them in an upright position at right angles to the bottom, while the lengthwise edges of the bottom abut against the inner faces of the sides and prevent their inward compression. As thus far described the bottoms and sides are free to slide lengthwise of each other upon their interlocking flanges or joints 25 and 26 audio this manner are assembled in setting up the case or may be disassembled in the same manner by removing them endwise' from each other when it is desired to collapse the case. The upright end edges of the sides are also turned or bent inwardly and then outwardly to form return bends or flanges 10, and the upright edges of the end pieces 4 are turned outwardly and laterally toward each other to form flanges 11, which interlock with the return-flanges 10, and thereby further hold the sides against lateral compression or spreading, and at the same time the ends are also held in operative position by the same interlockingflanges. The lower edges of the ends 3 are bent or turned inwardly toward each other to form stop shoulders or flanges 28, which in this instance engage the under face of the adjacent edges of the bottom 1, so as to lift from the bottom when the load is suspended from the ends. The grooves or loops produced by forming these interlockingflanges are open at both ends, and it is therefore obvious that the sides and ends are also free to slide vertical] y upon their interlocking flanges; but since the flanges 28 limit the upward movement of the ends 8 it is only possible to remove them from the sides by sliding them downwardly until their interlocking flanges are disengaged, which is done in collapsing the case. The interlocking flanges on the bottom, sides, and ends are formed before the parts are assembled, and in the operation of assembling the sides and bottom are brought together end to end with the flanges of one registered with the grooves or loops of the other, and the parts are then moved endwise along each other with their flanges interlocked until their corresponding end edges are substantially coincident. The end pieces are then inserted into the grooves in the interlocking flanges on the ends of the sides from the bottom upward until, the flanges 28 engage the under face of the bottom, it being understood that these flanges 28 are somewhat shorter than the width of the end pieces, so as to fit in between the interlocking flanges of-the sides and bottom and thus constitute lifting-stops, which are applied directly to the bottom when the lifting power is applied to the end pieces 3. The main body of the case is now complete, except the means for holding the end pieces from sliding downward out of place, and for this pur pose I provide the flanges 28 and overlying portions of the bottom with alined apertures 30, through which suitable bolts, rivets, or similar fastening means may be inserted to hold the end pieces from such downward movement after the parts are assembled. When it is desired to collapse the case, these fastening devices are removed and the end pieces 3 are then drawn downwardly out of interlocking engagement with the sides, whereupon the sides may be similarly removed endwise from the bottom, and the bottom, sides, ends, and lid may then be laid one upon the other flatwise and crated, stored, or shipped in this condition within a comparatively small space.

In Fig. 11 I have shown a modified means of detachably locking the sides and ends of the case together, consisting of corner-plate 40, having inturned flanges 11, which interlock with similar flanges on the sides and ends, as

suitable clamping devices.

42 and 48; but it is evident that this same corner-piece may be used in connection with similar flanges atthe junction of the ends and sides with the bottom and that other changes may be made in the manner of locking the side, end, and bottom pieces together without departing from the spirit of this invention as, for instance, the flanges at the ends of the sides 2 may be turned outwardly and the adjacent edges of the ends turned inwardly, as seen in Fig. 6. The upper edges of the sides and ends are bent or offset laterally and outwardly to form reinforcing-flanges 6, and the longitudinal central portions of these flanges are depressed to form grooves or channels 7, Fig. 5. This formation of the channel produces lengthwise ribs at the inner and outer edges of the flange 6, and thereby reinforces and strengthens the latter. In the bottom of each groove is inserted a metal plate or strip 8 of substantially the same width as the groove for the purpose of additionally strengthening the flanges which support the lid.

The lid B is also formed of sheet metal, and, like the sides and ends of the case A, its central portion is pressed outwardly to form one or more panels 12, the inner depressions of which are filled in with different material, as wood 13, similar to that for the sides and ends of the case A and for the same purpose. The marginal edges of the lid are turned or bent downwardly to form flanges 15, which fit closely against the outer sides of the flange 6. In the grooves or channels 7 and resting upon the reinforcing-pieces 8 are elastic packingstrips 16, which project slightly above the upper edges of the sides and ends of the case A. The lid rests entirely upon the upper faces of these packing-strips and is held in place by It is now apparent that the lid has a slight vertical play and is seated on the yielding packing-strips, so that when the clamps are tightened the casket is hermetically sealed against the entrance of air or moisture.

Each of the clamping devices preferably consists of a flxedplate 18, a link 19, and camlever 20, the'part 18 being fixedly secured to the body of the case A directly under the flange 6, and the link is pivoted to the part 18 to swing laterally and downwardly under said flange; but in operative position its upper end is offset laterally over the edge of the lid. The cam-lever is pivoted to the upper end of thelink, and its cam-face engages the top of the lid to clamp the latter in place and swings, with the link, to and from a position over the lid. This clamping device, however, forms the subject-matter of a separate application, and it is therefore unnecessary to further illustrate or describe the same, as any suitable clamping device may be employed in con nection with the construction of the casket herein described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat cut, is V 1. A knockdown burial-case consisting of bottom, sides and ends formed of separate pieces of sheet metal and having their meeting edges provided with interlocking flanges two of the opposite upright walls extending under the bottom.

2. A burial-case having a sheet-metal bottom, sides and. ends, the ends having sliding interlocking connection with the sides and provided with limiting-stops engaging the bottom.

3. A knockdown burial-case comprising a bottom, sides and ends, formed of separate sheet-metal pieces, the sides having sliding interlocking connection with the bottom, and the ends having sliding interlocking connection with the sides, and means to clamp the ends to the bottom.

4;. A sheet-metal casket consisting of bottom,side and end pieces detachabl y interlocked with each other, the lower edges of the end pieces extending under the bottom and the upper edges of the sides and ends being bent outwardly and downwardly and then upwardly to form longitudinal grooves, yielding packings in said grooves, a lid seated on said packings and clamping devices secured to the ends and sides and engaged with the lid.

5. A sheet-metal case having the upper edges of its sides and ends ofiset laterally and depressed to form lengthwise grooves, a metal reinforcing-strip fitted in the groove, a yielding packing in the groove seated on the metal strip, and a lid resting on the packing and clamped to the case.

6. A burial-casket consisting of a sheetmetal case having its upper edges of its sides and ends oflset laterally and outwardly and depressed longitudinally to form lengthwise grooves, a packing in the grooves, and a lid resting on the packing and having a downturned flange inclosing the oflset edges of the case and means to clamp the lid to the case.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of January, 1904.

JOHN MAXWELL.

Witnesses:

GERTRUDE SAUNDERS, WM. F. LANTRY. 

